Where are West Hollywood’s immigrants from?

Short answer: A third or so are from countries that were part of the Soviet Union, with the rest coming from many different countries, including Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom

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We know that one in four West Hollywood residents immigrated to the US, about 9,200 people (see our earlier report). We also know that the city has a longstanding but shrinking population from the former Soviet Union. We wondered (1) how many of the city’s current immigrant residents came from the former Soviet republics and (2) where the rest of the city’s immigrants came from.

Countries that were part of the Soviet Union

An estimated 3,200 residents immigrated from countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. That’s a third of the city’s immigrant residents — a plurality but not a majority. The numbers are based on estimates from the US Census Bureau, which surveyed residents between 2011 and 2015.

Note: Census Bureau estimates were available for nine of the former Soviet republics. The total could be a few points higher if we made some assumptions about the number of residents from the remaining Soviet republics. Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year estimates, 2011-2015, Table B05006; our analysis.

The biggest group came from Ukraine (estimated at almost 1,600), followed by Russia (close to 1,100). Smaller groups of residents migrated from Moldova, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. There may be residents from the other former Soviet republics as well, but we don’t know how many.

The shading in the map below reflects the estimates for each of those countries. You can see the numbers by hovering over or touching a country.

Source: Same as above.

Other countries residents migrated from

Where else did West Hollywood’s residents migrate from? According to the Census Bureau estimates, the top ten are Mexico (about 600 residents), Canada (over 400 residents), the United Kingdom (roughly 400 residents), Iran, France, Israel, Italy, the Philippines, Argentina, and China.

Source: Same as above.

The shading in the map below reflects the Census estimates for countries that weren’t part of the Soviet Union. You can see the numbers by hovering over or touching a country.

Source: Same as above.

Top five countries compared to nearby cities

We compared the top five immigrant countries in West Hollywood to the top five in nearby cities. Mexico has a top-five spot in all of the cities. Beyond that, West Hollywood’s list differs. Ukraine and Russia sit at the top of West Hollywood’s list but aren’t on any of the others. Canada and the United Kingdom round out West Hollywood’s list but Santa Monica is the only other nearby city in which they make the top five.

Beverly Hills

Burbank

Culver City

Los Angeles

Santa Monica

West Hollywood

IranIsraelKoreaMexicoChina

MexicoIranArmeniaPhilippinesEl Salvador

MexicoChinaPhilippinesIndiaJapan

MexicoEl SalvadorGuatemalaPhilippinesKorea

MexicoChinaIranUnited KingdomCanada

UkraineRussiaMexicoCanadaUnited Kingdom

Source: Same as above.

When they immigrated

We also wondered when the city’s immigrant residents arrived in the US, regardless of what country they came from. According to the Census Bureau estimates, almost three-quarters came to the country before 2000. The number is similar in nearby cities. It’s a little higher in Beverly Hills and a little lower in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

Short answer: A third or so are from countries that were part of the Soviet Union, with the rest coming from many different countries, including Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom|
We know that one in four West Hollywood residents immigrated to the US, about 9,200 people (see our...

DavidWarrendavid_warren@post.harvard.eduAdministratorWeHo by the Numbers

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reports using data to explore city government policy, performance, and community issues. Focused on West Hollywood (WeHo), Beverly Hills, Culver City, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica. Researched and written by David Warren as a private citizen. This is not a government website.